Rae St. Clair Bridgman is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

anthropologist, urban planner, university professor, writer, and illustrator. She is known for her picture books, middle-grade books, and young adult books, most notably The MiddleGate Books, a series of fantasy books for kids inspired by the Narcisse Snake Pits of Narcisse, Manitoba. The books feature the adventures of young cousins Wil and Sophie who live in the secret, magical city of MiddleGate, beset by the return of an ancient secret society known as the Serpent's Chain. Her academic research focuses on child-friendly cities and homelessness in Canada.

Background

Bridgman was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, and now lives in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. Bridgman received her Bachelor of Arts degree (Latin) and her Bachelor of Music from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, and her Master's (Interdisciplinary Studies) and PhD (Anthropology) from

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. She holds the position of Professor in the Department of City Planning at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

in the Faculty of Architecture, and is co-director of BridgmanCollaborative Architecture, a Winnipeg design firm. Bridgman illustrates her fantasy novels with distinctive pen-and-ink and pan pastel drawings. In 2024, her young children's book, ''Good Night, Good Night, Victoria Beach'' won the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group's

Next Generation Indie Book Awards The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, also known as the Indie Book Awards, is a literary awards program that recognizes and honors authors and publishers of exceptional independently published books in 70 different categories. "Indies" include ...

Grand Prize for fiction and for children's picture book, ages 0 to 5.

Works

Middle-Grade and Young Adult Fantasy Fiction: *''The Serpent's Spell''.

FriesenPress Friesens Corporation is Canada's largest printer of hardcover books. They are employee-owned, specializing in hardcover books and yearbooks, and located in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. Friesens also operates a self-publishing subsidiary named Friesen ...

2021. (New and revised edition. Originally published by Great Plains Publications, 2006.) *''Amber Ambrosia''.

2021. (New and revised edition. Originally published by Great Plains Publications, 2007.) *''Fish and Sphinx''.

2021. (New and revised edition. Originally published by Great Plains Publications, 2008.) *''Kingdom of Trolls''.

2023. (New and revised edition. Originally published by Sybertooth, 2011.)

References

External links

Official author's website

BridgmanCollaborative Architecture

Professor at the

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgman, Rae Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian children's writers Canadian fantasy writers Canadian anthropologists Canadian women anthropologists 21st-century Canadian women writers University of Toronto alumni York University alumni Canadian illustrators Canadian women illustrators